MGUniversal Century

MS RX-9/C NARRATIVE GUNDAM C-PACKS Ver.Ka

A slimmer, sharper take on the Narrative frame that finally fixes what Unicorn Ver.Ka left broken.

MechaGrade Score

4.2/5

MS RX-9/C NARRATIVE GUNDAM C-PACKS · 1/100 · 2024

GradeMG

Scale1/100

Released2024

Runnersn/a

Check price on Amazon

Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

The verdict

This is Katoki's Unicorn Ver.Ka lineage done right the second time around.

The C-Packs armor stays true to the anime's hasty, bolted-on look while the underlying Narrative frame gets real engineering upgrades, especially in the hips and knees, that make it pose better than its predecessor ever did. I came away impressed that a kit built around swap-in psycho frame gimmicks still manages to feel like a complete, cohesive mobile suit rather than an accessory delivery system.

Best for: Unicorn Ver.Ka collectors who want the definitive Narrative Gundam and are ready to build past HG territory

The full review

What it is

The C-Packs is the third and final armament Katoki designed for the Narrative Gundam, and Ver.Ka renders it with a slimmer shoulder, knee, and ankle profile than the original HGUC release so the whole silhouette reads less bulky. The headline gimmick is the psycho frame itself: clear parts with engraved detail cut into the front, back, and sides so the crystal look changes depending on the angle you're holding it at, plus a separate gray unactivated frame you can swap in for the pre-NT-D look. The core fighter still separates and folds into bird mode. Building it feels like Bandai actually listened to years of Unicorn Ver.Ka feedback and applied the fix here instead of just reskinning the same frame.

The catch

At roughly 7,700 yen this sits at the pricier end of MG, and that's before you factor in that the deactivated psycho frame swap only pays off if you're also displaying it next to (or borrowing parts from) other Ver.Ka Unicorn kits, since the frame parts are cross-compatible with Banshee, Phenex, and standard Unicorn. Retailers and reviewers flag it as not a beginner kit, the C-Packs armor has a lot of small connection points and the psycho frame parts need careful handling since they're thin clear plastic. It's also a kit that rewards people who already know the Unicorn Ver.Ka line; if you've never built one, some of the improvements here won't register as improvements.

Who it's for

Buy this if you already have (or want) a shelf of Ver.Ka Unicorn-family kits and want the version with the best-engineered legs and hips in the lineup, or if the C-Packs' beat-up, jury-rigged armor look from the final Narrative battle is the specific silhouette you're after. Skip it if you want an easy weekend build or you have no interest in the psycho frame gimmick, since that's genuinely the reason this kit exists over a plain Narrative Gundam Ver.Ka. Newer builders should cut their teeth on a standard MG before tackling the small connection points here.

What works

Hip and knee joints were reworked specifically to avoid the range-of-motion pitfalls of the original Unicorn Ver.Ka line
Psycho frame clear parts are engraved on multiple faces so the crystal effect actually shifts with viewing angle instead of being a flat gimmick
Cross-compatible psycho frame parts with other MG Ver.Ka Unicorn-family kits (Banshee, Phenex, standard Unicorn) reward people already invested in the lineup

Worth knowing

Premium price point even by MG standards
Not a forgiving first build, the C-Packs armor and clear psycho frame parts want a careful hand
The deactivated gray psycho frame gimmick is a lot less exciting if you don't already own other Ver.Ka kits to swap parts with

Sold? Grab it.

Check price on Amazon

Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The build story

What the build is actually like, and the engineering worth knowing about.

The C-Packs shell goes together in layers over the Narrative frame, and the slimmer shoulder, knee, and ankle proportions compared to the original HGUC mean less bulk to wrangle during assembly, but also more small connecting parts to keep track of. The clear psycho frame pieces are thin and need patience during gate removal since they're the visual centerpiece of the whole kit.

The standout engineering is in the legs: the front hip sections can sink down to reproduce a forward bend, the left and right groin axes slide independently, and the fins on the back of the knees tuck in as the knee bends, letting the leg fold deeper than the original Unicorn Ver.Ka could manage. The core fighter still detaches and folds into bird mode, and swapping between the activated (colored) and unactivated (gray) psycho frame is a tool-free display option rather than a permanent choice.

Lore & trivia

01The C-Packs was the third piece of optional armor developed for the RX-9 Narrative Gundam, and in-universe it was an improvised, hastily-fitted rig rather than a planned configuration, since the A-Packs and B-Packs were both destroyed in earlier engagements.
02In Mobile Suit Gundam NT, the Narrative Gundam C-Packs fights alongside the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex against the NZ-999 II Neo Zeong in the film's climax, and its psycho frame glows blue after absorbing psycho waves from the Phenex.
03The kit's psycho frame parts are intentionally cross-compatible with other MG Ver.Ka Unicorn-line kits, so builders can mix in the orange Banshee frame or blue Phenex frame in place of the Narrative's own.
04Ver.Ka is Hajime Katoki's design line, and this kit was built to correlate part-for-part with MG Unicorn Gundam Ver.Ka given the two suits share screen time and design lineage.